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Sunday, June 19, 2005

This is my Dad. He died in 2001 and I miss him very much. He died shortly after Father's Day, on June 21st. He was an incredible man. Born Jewish in Warsaw, he was a "runner" as a boy during the war. His family then moved to Mexico City, where he grew as a teen, then moved to the USA where he designed airplanes. He married my mother in California when I was 5 years old and adopted me and my brother when we were pre-teens. His true calling was history, and he later went to Stanford University to study. After graduation he moved us all to Ontario, Canada so he could teach at Queen's University in Kingston. He taught there until he died in 2001. He was well known for being able to draw intricate maps freehand on the chalkboard, and for his incredible wealth of knowledge. As a father, he was a strict disciplinarian with a good heart. As I grew into an adult, he became 'softer" and less intense as a father. We became great friends and saw each other often. One of our favourite things to do was to go out for lunch and browse bookstores. He was a kind and loving grandfather to my daughter, who called him "Papa Lou". He was incredibly generous, a world traveller (he went on a yearly trip to London to see the plays) and knew 13 languages! I miss him everyday.